It’s February! That wonderful time of the year to celebrate all things love!

It’s been a cold winter this year…so much so that I have had 4 events cancel or postpone on me this year due to the weather. That’s unheard of in Waffleman world. Fortunately, 3 out of the 4 were able to reschedule into February, March and April. So those that missed out on our waffle-y goodness will have their chance when we get there in the coming weeks.

Speaking of things I love, I love the amount of energy and enthusiasm that greets me every time I arrive at a location. The cries of “The Waffleman’s here!” ring out and go straight to my heart. I told my wife Ranelle that she really needs to experience what it sounds like when I pull up to an elementary school when the playground is full of kids. It’s like my own version of being a rock star.

And finally speaking of rock stars…we have yet another new Waffle champion from Omaha Gross High school who was at the Beatrice High School Booster Club fundraiser. This young man ate 8 entire Waffleman waffles! If you know who he is (I forgot to get his name), please tag him, thank him and congratulate him for being such a fan!

It’s that time of year when I look back at all of the great people and events that I have had the pleasure to serve as The Waffleman. Nearly 90 events later, including an 8 day solid marathon here in December, and I am more thankful than ever for those of you who make The Waffleman successful.

Part of the joy I have in my business is being able to serve the community by helping those in need raise funds for special projects, schools, churches, or even family members who have fallen ill or have expenses that they didn’t expect. If I’m not raising funds, I’m usually being a part of a larger celebration such as a wedding, graduation, or even an employee or customer appreciation.

This is how I am focusing on growing The Waffleman’s business in the future: with a mind on serving our clients, and more importantly, our community (city, state, and perhaps even country if the need arises!)

So stay tuned, folks. Some new things are coming in the near future which I am excited to announce! In the mean time, I have attached a few pictures to this post that represent the past year and some of the great people I have met along the way. Have a wonderful holiday season, and keep your family close! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Ramadan, and make it a great New Year! On to 2019!

Fall is my favorite time of year (along with many of you, as you’ve shared). The cool weather makes for the best time to ride my motorcycle (a newer hobby that I’m enjoying very much).

It also is the time that comfort food comes back in style. Don’t get me wrong – waffles are good anytime of the year

, but there’s something about a cool morning and maple syrup that combine for something magical. Fall is the time that The Waffleman’s busiest season starts to ramp up.

In the fall, I often do a lot of high school football and basketball games, as well as doing some fundraisers for our first responders. These are some of my favorite fundraisers because I get to see families come together to say “thank you” to those who serve our communities.

The school fundraisers are fun because I get to work with some of the most enthusiastic students ever. Their enthusiasm is contagious. So much so that at a recent fundraiser, I had not one, but TWO students set the new record for Waffleman waffles eaten at 7 each. That is nothing but pure ambition and waffle love! Thank you to each and every one of you who support The Waffleman and these amazing groups!

Another busy season is just around the corner and I am getting ready slowly but surely! I have some terrific new bookings coming up with people that I have never worked with before and I am really excited to form some new relationships!

Every year, I do a “summer project,” since summer is usually my slow season. This year, along with cleaning and refurbishing some of my regular waffle tables (something which happens EVERY year), I have been working on a a new concept which is now ready for launch: Waffleman Xpress!

I have received many phone calls and requests from businesses or private parties wanting me to come in and do waffles for them, but they only had maybe 40 people they were feeding. In the past, I kept my minimum booking for any group at 100 people which left those smaller groups with NO WAFFLES! Why the 100 person minimum you ask? Because the way I was set up before, no matter how many people I was feeding I had to bring my entire trailer with me with all five waffle tables…even if I was only going to use one. So the labor and the gas and the

What I have done now is “up-cycled,” and modified an old Ferno ambulance gurney (see the picture!) which is now outfitted with 5 irons. So all I have to do is put that one table in the back of my truck with some waffle batter and sausage, and off I go! So my minimum booking is now only 25 people! And here’s the best part…no extreme electrical requirements! Just 3-4 regular outlets on separate breakers!

So to all of you who were frustrated that I couldn’t come and feed your offices, your birthday parties, your morning meetings…I apologize. Let me make it up to you! Check out the link under the “Events,” tab and book your Waffleman Xpress event today!

International Waffle Day is a tradition that is celebrated in Sweden and elsewhere, on March 25. The Christian holiday of Annunciation, Our Lady’s Day, is celebrated on March 25 (nine months before Christmas). Because Vårfrudagen (“Our Lady’s Day”), which in vernacular Swedish sounds almost like Våffeldagen (waffle day), waffles have traditionally been eaten on this day although it has no religious connections to Our Lady’s Day.

The first United States patent for a waffle iron was issued to Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York on August 24, 1869. It is this day that most people in the U.S. celebrate National Waffle Day.

Since we love waffles, The Waffleman celebrates both the international and the national Waffle Days.

Being The Waffleman has many, many perks. As I have stated before, one of my favorites is getting to travel throughout our great state and meeting all of the great people it has to offer.

Attached to this post are just a few of the pictures I have taken throughout the year of people enjoying and eating my waffles, as well as some of the many volunteers who helped to serve them.

Having a Waffleman event means community. More than the average fundraiser and more than just eating, people in the local community or school rally around a cause and have a fun time raising money to support a group that gives back in their own community.

Whether big town or small, the results are undeniable. People love when The Waffleman comes to town! Just last week, I was in Omaha at an elementary school. As I was backing in, their after-school program was out on the playground. The screams of “Waffleman!! WAFFLEMAN!! The Waffleman’s here!” from the kids warmed my heart.

It made me feel like a Beatle or Elvis Presley, even for just a moment…

It’s that time of year again! A time to be with loved ones and think about what we are most thankful for. I have many blessings in my life: a wonderful wife, two brilliant sons, two relatively behaved dogs, two nice cats. (Well…ONE nice cat…one’s a little sketchy.)

In my life as The Waffleman, there are many things to be thankful for. I think the thing I am MOST thankful for though is that I get to travel through this state, serving and meeting the most wonderful people. Whether it is for a fundraiser, or a party, or just to say “thank you” to employees or customers, I get to join in on some amazing celebrations!

In the pictures that accompany this post, you will see some of the things I have experienced in my travels this year. The Lincoln Boys Choir performing, Employees at my friends Katy, Olivia, Jacob and Taryn, a 3-D printer in action printing out whistles for the children of Teledyne Isco families while they waited for their waffles, Judson Irrigation enjoying their waffles, and my latest friend: “Lola, the waffledog” who just beat canine cancer and celebrated Waffleman style! So to you all, I say “thank you!” For hiring me, for being my friends, and for letting me share your joy.

Hopefully, the title of this post sounds like a really cool children’s book! I have the opportunity to share a most amazing event with you! On Sunday, October 15th, The Waffleman and Baxter Toyota are teaming up!

I will be at Baxter Toyota and Lexus’ new south store on Yankee Hill Road from 8 in the morning until around 3 in the afternoon! We are doing a REALLY fun event while raising money for the Team Jack foundation fighting against pediatric brain cancer. Here’s the deal:

Baxter needs to move their entire Toyota and Lexus inventory from the north location near 27th and I-80 to the south location near 33rd and Yankee Hill Road. So they are sponsoring “The Ultimate Test Drive!” If you are looking for a new car, or if you just want to drive a new Toyota, come to their north store starting at 8am and help them drive their inventory across town to their new location! That’s all there is to it! You get to test drive some really fun cars (there will be a bus waiting at the south location to take you back north to your car or so that you can drive another one!)

Plus, there is all-you-can eat waffles at the south store just waiting for you! If you come around lunch time, I will have burgers and dogs too! (Yes, I can run a grill too!) 100% of the donations that we take in that day will go to benefit Team Jack. So please come and join us for waffles, family fun, and support of this amazing cause!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year (as it is for many)! The cool nights and the warm days make for perfect comfort food weather…mac and cheese, chili and cinnamon rolls, and…oh, yes! Waffles!

I have been working this summer as music director of Pinewood Bowl’s annual summer musical: The Little Mermaid for the 5th consecutive year (www.pinewoodbowl.org), as well as at TADA theater directing the pit for Smokey Joe’s Cafe (www.tadatheatre.info). Since the summer is my “slow season, I have also been working on making Waffleman improvements!

First of all is the “changing of the irons.” That’s right! If you have not experienced The Waffleman in a while, I now have new irons which cook a whole minute faster than the antiques! (Pictures of the old vs. the new are attached) That may not sound like much, but in the waffle world, that is a 33% BUMP in efficiency! This means I can get through a several hundred person event in less than an hour!

There are other changes coming, but they are still in the works and I’m not “quite” ready to announce them yet…but stay tuned, dear readers! Make sure to check out my Calendar of Events to see when I will be in your area! And if you want to book me, do so quickly! Times and dates are filling up fast!

May is here! And I am way behind in updating my website! May brings us a lot of things…flowers, green trees (here in Nebraska anyway) and the end of school. For many families as well as The Waffleman, it brings graduation season.

It has always struck me that graduation ceremonies are usually called “commencement.” As you will often hear during this time of year, the word “commence,” means to begin. Personally, I like many of the synonyms that I found in the thesaurus: get going, launch, initiate, get cracking, kick off, and hit the ground running. Even though it is the ending of a major portion of your life (schooling), it really is a start of something much bigger!

The most difficult thing to keep in mind before life sweeps you up is to make time for the important things. Along with your job or schooling, make sure you make time to relax, enjoy family time, and volunteer any place you can. Dividing your life into equal portions is probably the toughest thing you will have to face. And remember to keep that “attitude of gratitude.” Be thankful for everyone who is in your life for whatever reason they may be there. I am personally really thankful for all of my friends and family and also for all of the wonderful organizations who have booked me again or who have tried me out for the first time. You are the reason I love my work!

So whatever the next step of your personal journey is, get out, get your feet wet, start the ball rolling, and jump into the next step with as much enthusiasm as you can muster!